Whose Land Is This Anyway?

I didn't think I could go more than a few posts before I touched on this topic.

My ancestral state.

My heritage.

My Sabah.

(Pictures courtesy of www.mysabah.com and Wikipedia)

Those were only some of the pictures that I managed to find on the web. The first picture is of the infamous Mount Kinabalu at dawn as seen from Kundasang, the second a picture of the Kadazan Papar people in their traditional costumes during a festival, and the last one a map of the state itself. To those who have yet to visit Sabah, I suggest you make it your next holiday destination. Or should I?

In recent times, Sabahans have been making headlines in the mainstream media. Wait, maybe I should be more specific. Sabahan Members of Parliament (MPs) have been making headlines in the mainstream media. Yup, that definitely sounds better. Anyway, for the first time since I can remember, I'm finally seeing our electorates making some noise in Parliament over the realities of Sabahans, the issue of the constant blackouts we have, at least on a weekly basis with the recent major 24-hour blackout of the whole state, to the issues of illegal immigrants in Sabah. The MPs are finally speaking out! For the people they serve!

However, I am not so naive or disillusioned to think that they have finally decided to do the job they were elected to do. That is a mere cover. It is common knowledge in Sabah that the most corrupted buggers are those who are involved in politics, especially those that win. And I have seen first hand on how corruption plays its dirty hand in everyday communal living in the kampungs and towns, and even to some extent in the cities. No, there is still a lot to do before I will be allowed to believe that they have finally changed. As far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed about them. The political situation on the other hand, has.

Pakatan Rakyat needs ministers to 'jump ship' to turn the slight majority of Parliament, currently held by Barisan Nasional to form the Federal Government, their way. As such, Pakatan Rakyat has offered Sabah and Sarawak a rise of 15% in oil royalty of both states, from the current 5% to 20%. Another offer on the table is to add two more Deputy Prime Minister posts to the current one, with the additional posts being filled one each by Sabah and Sarawak. The oil royalty issue, for quite some time now, has been an issue for both State Governments with the Federal Government, but with both states having very little say in the Federal Government and all the while being treated with little respect, or as 'second-class citizens', all they could do was be quiet else they lose more of what they have. Now, with Sabah and Sarawak clearly having a bigger role in BN's hold of the Federal Government the importance of these two states have risen drastically. And the MPs know this. Hence the reason they're demanding from BN what PR is prepared to offer them, else they might just "resurrect a dormant Sabah political party and join the Pakatan Rakyat".

Another issue that is currently being raised is the illegal immigration issue. This has been an ongoing struggle for Sabah for decades. The number of illegal immigrants, mostly from nearby Indonesia and Philippines, in Sabah is on the rise, and some of these illegal immigrates are already of the second or third generation, meaning they are gaining more with each generation a liable claim of actually being Sabahans. Quoting Wikipedia once more:

The official population estimate for the year 2006 is put at 2,997,000.^[14] The composition of the population are^[14]:

• Kadazan-dusun: 17.8%
• Bajau: 13.4%
• Malay: 11.5%
• Murut: 3.3%
• Other bumiputra: 14.6%
• Chinese: 9.6%
• Other non-bumiputra: 4.8%
• Non-Malaysian citizen: 25%

1/4 Non-Malaysian citizens. A quarter of an entire state belongs to illegals. They are a bigger composition than any other ethnic group in the state! What makes this more scary than it already is, is that these were the statistics in 2006. And it is a fact that more are landing on our shores than the authorities are deporting back, which to me is pointless because with the current system, all they have to do is catch the next boat back to Sabah!

If there's anyone out there that is of the opinion that we should 'let it be', let me give you this scenario:

What if you were to find out one day, in your home, there is a stranger that you never invited in? And this stranger takes up your space, takes a cut from your earnings, and is eating your food? How would you feel? Would you still just 'let it be'? Would you allow for your home to be invaded by someone that is taking your resources, your earnings to support another home somewhere else, simply because he gets more with less effort from your home? And when you know very well that they weren't meant to be there, you make a report to the local authorities of the invader, only to be told that he is a member of your family that they have legalized?

That is what the Sabahans are fussing about. Instead of supporting the locals, some authorities have taken the opportunity to provide these 'uninvited guests' with Malaysian ICs, whether it is to make a quick buck (after all, 1/4 of the population is wanting it, so it's high in demand) or to increase a certain ethnic group's 'slice of the population pie', so they deserve to have more say in matters of the state! Corruption. Politics. It's a loss for all Sabahans. Now, West Malaysians, you understand why the fuck illegal immigration is a huge issue for us. But if I ever have to hear another West Malaysian poking fun at the illegal immigration problem in Sabah and how we're just making a big fuss out of nothing, so help me God I'll give him or her more than an earful!

Going back on the issue of oil royalties, it's a big issue, simply because it would help a person more to have RM2 in their pockets than to have 50 sen. Especially with the inflation of every damn thing nowadays! I'm not going to just say that Sabah has the WORST poverty in the country, but heck let me show you something I got from Jeff Ooi's Screenshots:

He further states that,

About 23% of households in the state are still living below the national poverty line income, while child poverty rates stand at 42%. More than one fifth of the population aged six and over has never been to school.

So now, with the oil royalty at 5%, which is equivalent to around RM500million per annum, can you imagine how much an additional 15%, to RM2billion per annum will make a difference?

Here's a picture of what hardcore poverty looks like:

(Photo courtesy of www.fotothing.com)

Now, ask yourself, is this something that should still happen in Malaysia, when we can have mega projects in like the Twin Towers, the SMART (or STUPID) Tunnel, and even our very own Putrajaya? Mind you, those in hardcore poverty are mostly the non-Muslim Bumiputeras, who are supposed to be protected of such things through the special privileges given to all Bumiputeras through the New Economic Policy (NEP). Right. Now do you still think that 'joke' is still relevant and working?

As I conclude this lengthy post, I'd like to link another post from Screenshots. When you have the time, I encourage you to read about Isrin Basitul and husband John Leesa's lives living in hardcore poverty.

Oh and by the way, to those who still think the NEP is "working and is still needed", well, I've seen enough that I can say, of that opinion...

I DON'T GIVE TWO FUCKS!

Additional Updates (18 May 2008):
I stumbled upon two more articles that I feel have good points and are great additions to this post. Do have a read:
The Kingmakers: Sabah, Sarawak and the 12th Malaysia General Elections
Winning Over Sabah and Sarawak